EMT program looks to change

By Kurt Wagner

It is not uncommon for Santa Clara Emergency Medical Services members to go without adequate sleep on a busy party night at Santa Clara. But newly elected EMS Director Mohit Kochar may be losing sleep this week for other reasons — hiring new squad members, helping run the EMS Mass Casualty Incident simulation and dealing with the new and improved EMT carts.

Arguably the busiest week on the Santa Clara EMS calendar kicked off on Monday when the squad began the interview process to find new members for next year's squad. According to Kochar, 37 applicants have applied for the 13 available spots.

"It's difficult," said Finance Officer Ryan Wells, who is on the interviewing panel. "There are a lot of quality candidates applying, but only a few spots on our squad. We wish we could bring on everybody, but logistically it's impossible."

All applicants must be EMT certified, meaning they must complete training on campus through the university class or off-campus on their own. Kochar hopes to have the final decision made on next year's squad members by early next week.

On top of dealing with incoming squad member applicants, Santa Clara EMS will operate their annual Mass Casualty Incident drill this Sunday on campus to practice their skills in the case of emergencies such as an earthquake, fire or campus shooting, said EMS PR Spokeswoman Annie Cheung.

In addition to all of the squad members participating, the SCU EMS has invited Santa Clara administrators such as University President Fr. Michael Engh S.J. to attend, allowing those interested to observe how the squad's training has enabled it to handle an incident of a more serious nature, said Kochar.

Santa Clara EMS has invited similar EMT squads from Stanford University and Loyola Marymount to attend, as well as the general public. Although Kochar has been involved in the planning of this year's event as incoming director, current senior Director Lauren McGuire and senior assistant directors Bryn Wilson and Kyle Tubbs have handled the bulk of the preparation.

As part of the simulation, EMS members are kept in the dark about the nature of the incident, as well as its start time and location. The squad will rely on a phone tree in order to connect with all of its members and spread the word about where to meet for the drill.

Santa Clara EMS has also recently benefitted from the addition of three new golf carts, a project Tubbs spearheaded.

The new carts are "street legal," said Kochar, and have wipers and seat belts in addition to the ability to hit speeds of up to 25 mph. The new carts will enable EMTs to legally cross the street off-campus to assist students who may be in Bellarmine Hall or the new Campbell Townhouses.

Because of the carts' increased speed and power, EMTs completed a mandatory training session with University Risk Manager Sam Florio. The cost of the carts is also of concern to Kochar, who does not want to have to deal with damages to them should an accident occur. Although he did not specify an exact price, he estimated the three carts combined at "the cost of a new Lexus."

Although Santa Clara EMS won't be on the hook financially for any potential damages to the carts, which were supplied by the university, Kochar wants to maintain a positive relationship with administration for a number of reasons, including a budget proposal he plans to submit next fall.

The current EMS budget only allows for $2,000 worth of scholarships for students admitted into the EMT class on campus, which costs over $1,000 per person, said Kochar. Costs for EMS squad members can reach close to $1,500 in order to pay for the class, certification tests and the EMT uniform. Kochar hopes to expand next year's budget to assist squad members and at the very least in pay the costs for their certification tests.

"None of us are asking to get paid," he said. "We obviously love the fact that it's volunteer, (Santa Clara EMS) was founded on the fact that we are volunteers. It's just a matter of breaking even."

Contact Kurt Wager at jwagner@scu.edu or call (408)554-4546.